


Sniffles

by Marrilyn



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Allergies, Animals, Cats, F/F, Fluff, Kissing, Pets, Sort Of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-27
Updated: 2019-03-27
Packaged: 2019-12-25 10:53:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18259814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marrilyn/pseuds/Marrilyn
Summary: Rowena has an issue with your newly-adopted cat. You confront her about it, and things turn out not to be as they initially seem.





	Sniffles

Rowena was initially against getting a pet, but after hours of your pleading and begging, practically on your knees, she'd rolled her eyes and, with a huff, relented. Anything to make you happy.

The cat you'd brought home was full black and fluffy, appropriately named Luna. She was a friendly creature, loved to be petted and cuddled, and meowed when ignored for even a second — basically Rowena in cat form. You had a feeling they would get along well. If you could melt the witch's ice queen facade with love and kindness (even if it did take a year for her up admit she did, in fact, feel something for you, and, afterwards, months to convince herself that feelings, especially those of romantic nature, weren't a weakness), so could a kitty with cuteness.

You were right.

Rowena had taken to Luna right away. It may have had to do with the fact that, upon seeing her for the first time and thoroughly sniffing her, the cat brushed her head against her palm and purred happily, a surefire sign of approval, of acceptance of her as her human — her witch. Rowena, never one to reject attention, even if it came from an animal, was enamored.

Not long after that, though, she started acting strange.

It had started with sneezes and evolved into sniffles. The witch, ever proud, claimed she was okay. It was just a cold, she'd said. She was fine. Nothing to worry about.

But with the cold came her sudden indifference towards Luna. Every time the cat approached her with demands of cuddles, she would push her away and rush to another room. She wasn't running, she'd said when you confronted her. She just had something to do. That something just happened to come up when Luna was near her. A total and utter coincidence.

Yeah, right!

You weren't born yesterday.

After yet another incident, where you'd come home from a trip to the grocery store and found the cat locked in the bathroom and clawing at the door in attempts to get out, you finally decided to confront her.

Rowena was in the kitchen, mixing up what appeared to be some kind of potion, if the herbs strewn around the counter were anything to go by. Her back was turned to you; she didn't turn to greet you with a smile, something she always did, didn't utter a single word of greeting. Didn't acknowledge your presence at all despite you announcing, loud and clear, you were back as soon as you'd stepped through the front door.

Was she mad? It wouldn't be the first time something insignificant had gotten her to sulk. The woman had a gift of being offended by the most random things. You could deal with it, just as you'd dealt with it all those times in the past. You just had to find out what the great offense to her highness was.

"Rowena, we need to talk." You cut right to the chase, careful to keep your tone neutral rather than accusatory. You wanted to sort this out quickly and in peace.

"What about?" she asked. Her voice was raspy, croaky, as if she'd been crying.

"Luna," you said.

She sniffled and, taking a tissue out of her pocket, wiped at her nose. "What about her?"

"Why did you lock her in the bathroom?"

Maybe there was a reasonable explanation, you told yourself.

Maybe the cat had gone mad and tried to kill her.

Maybe she was a fairy in feline form and had tried to abduct her to service king Oberon.

Maybe she was an alien and had wanted to probe her.

Maybe, maybe, maybe.

"She was being a pest," Rowena said.

You sighed. "Rowena, you can't do that."

"Nothing happened to her," she insisted, unrepentant.

"She was terrified!"

"She'll get over it."

"That's not the point!" You were fighting a losing battle. The witch was stubborn as a mule; if she was convinced of something, there was no changing her mind. You might as well shout at a wall. Taking a breath to calm down, you said, "Why are you acting like this? Do you not want a pet anymore?"

"Of course I do!" Rowena said, outraged at the suggestion. "That cat is just… annoying."

"She just wants you to pet her and play with her."

"Like I said — annoying."

She poured some seeds from a vial into a bowl and started crushing them.

You rolled your eyes, annoyed. "If you don't want a pet, just say so."

"Goodness, lass, I'm telling you that's not it!" Rowena snapped. She slammed the grinding stone down and swirled around, finally facing you.

You barely held back a gasp. Her face, usually pale, was red as a tomato. Her cheeks and eyes were puffed up, slightly swollen, as if she'd been crying. There were bags under her eyes, equally swollen, equally prominent, like dark, half-moon bruises. She looked like she'd been in a fight and lost.

"Oh, my god!" you exclaimed, unable to hide the shock from your tone. "What happened? Are you okay?" Then, like a light bulb flickering on in your mind, it dawned on you. "Are you allergic to Luna?"

"Aye," Rowena said with a tinge of shame. She didn't want you to see her like this, didn't want to admit a tiny, harmless cat made her face puff up like a blowfish.

"Why didn't you say anything? I wouldn't have brought her home if I'd known you were allergic."

"I didn't know."

"Why didn't you tell me when you realized?"

Rowena turned her head to the side, avoiding your eyes. She sniffled again and brought a tissue to her nose. "You wanted the bloody cat so badly! I didn't want to ruin it for you."

Your heart swelled with warmth. "Honey, it's just a cat." Stepping forwards, you cupped her cheeks in your hands, gently, softly. "You matter to me so much more."

So much more than an animal. No matter how badly you wanted a pet, you wanted Rowena more. Cared about her more. Loved her more. No animal could ever come before her.

Rowena leaned into the touch, closed her eyes, gave herself away to the sensation. Your fingers caressed her skin with utmost tenderness, careful not to hurt her, not to irritate her swelling.

"I do want a pet, but not if it's hurting you."

Rowena smiled. "I'm… sorry I didn't tell you." It took a lot out of her to say it out loud. Apologizing was still a painful subject for her.

"It's okay," you said, and meant it. She'd only had your best intentions at heart. You couldn't be mad at her for that.

"I thought I'd make a potion" — she gestured to the herbs on the counter behind her — "to lessen the symptoms."

"You do that," you told her, "and meanwhile, I'll return Luna to the shelter."

Rowena stiffened. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah," you said with a nod. "She's a lovely kitty. I bet she'll find a great home really fast. We're just not the right family for her."

You pecked her on the lips, a swift, soft brush of skin over skin. You wanted a pet, a pet cat in particular, but you could give it up if it meant Rowena would be safe. The last thing you wanted was to hurt her. An animal wasn't worth it. Nothing was worth it.

"Need me to pick anything up from the pharmacy? Something for the allergy?" you asked.

"The potion will do just fine," Rowena said.

"Okay. I won't be long. Movie marathon when I come back?"

"I don't see why not."

"Awesome! Would you be a dear and make some tea? I'll bring the snacks!"

"Of course, darling!"

You sealed the deal with a kiss, short and sweet. This could turn out to be a fun day, after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Edited by OswinTheStrange.


End file.
